


Safe

by sunlian



Category: Jade Empire
Genre: Character Study, F/F, Fluff, Kinda, idk its just short and nice
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-19 17:18:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17605589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunlian/pseuds/sunlian
Summary: A birthday gift for aquaera on tumblr





	Safe

**Author's Note:**

  * For [aquaera](https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquaera/gifts).



> happy birthday boo

Safety has always been such a nebulous concept.

When she was very, very young, Lian thought that the palace was the safest place in the world. Later, when she was older, she realised it was only as safe as she pretended it to be; the vain princess might be safe within its grand walls, but a smart, politically aware woman?

She could almost laugh at the thought now.

No, she was never, truly safe, not even among the staff entrusted with keeping her personal quarters tidy and clean. And when she starting venturing into the world as Silk Fox, it served to drive the point home. How many times had she stayed alert, hidden high in a tree, or crumbling tower, forgoing sleep in exchange for awareness and alertness? How many nights had she been kept awake, healing bloody wounds slowly with whatever chi she had left, to avoid scarring that would give her away?

It was frightening, perhaps, how quickly that became her normal. Perhaps because it was already normal for her; while the imperial court was less physically dangerous, the slightest slip or mistake in her words, or tone, even her expressions- it would spell ridicule at the very best, and at the worst… she didn’t often entertain thoughts of worst-case scenarios, but she was fully aware of them.

So that’s how she lived; as safe as she made herself, as safe as she pretended to be, and as safe as she was willing to be.

It hadn’t occurred to her that this wasn’t what being “safe” was supposed to be.

Safety, she learned later, was trusting someone to watch your back, even when you were hopelessly outnumbered. Safety was depending on someone, just as they depended on her. Safety was trust, in and out of combat.

Safety was opening up, fully and completely, about everything she felt, about her life, her feelings, even if she didn’t fully understand them herself. Safety was knowing that her words would never be thrown back in her face, that she would be listened to.

Safety was falling asleep to sound of another’s breathing, the troubles of the day fading away. It was waking up beside them, feeling nothing but content.

Throughout everything, after everything she’s seen, everything she’s done, Lian never expected to feel truly safe, especially not with another.

And yet, as she stood there, held securely in the arms of her Spirit Monk, Lian cannot remember having ever felt safer.  
  



End file.
